Fallen Angel
by Stef-chan
Summary: COMPLETED - They say that no tears may enter the gates of heaven, but when Bulma is forced to leave the one she loves the most, she cannot help but weep with sorrow.


FALLEN ANGEL  
DBZ © Akira Toriyama, Bird Studios, etc.  
FanFiction © Stef-chan  
_Could it Be Any Harder? _© The Calling

* * *

_You left me with goodbye and open arms  
A cut so deep I don't deserve_

Bulma Briefs, an elderly woman of eighty, stood leaning her back against a solid, silver lamppost, body trembling, hands shaking, and eyes never leaving the golden gates as it closed forever. Never to leave. Never to return. Never to live the life she once lived. Whoever said that tears may never enter the gates of Heaven?, for a stray drop of salted liquid slid down the paling cheek and jaw line to the point of her chin where it left her face and fell to the clouds beneath her feet. Trembling body anguished, shaking hands clasped, eyes overflowing with repressed tears; Bulma Briefs was the definition of sorrow.

_You were always invincible in my eyes  
The only thing against us now is time_

Heaven was supposed to be a place of happiness where everything was perfect; where everything must be complete; where streets are paved with gold and life was full of everlasting peace and comfort. Yet Bulma Briefs was anything but at peace. In earlier years, she had longed to live such a life, but now that she was facing it, it seemed so deficient compared to her own personal heaven back on Earth—back at home—with the ones she loved most.

_Could it be any harder  
To say good-bye and without you?_

She had died once, yes, by the hands of Majin Buu, but death had been so much different then. This time, she passed on due to natural causes; old age; by the true, natural way to end a life. What a way to exit a world… And with that one line engraved inside her mind, another tear slid down her face before she hastily wiped it away into a smear with the back of her hand.

_Could it be any harder  
To watch you go and face what's true?_

* * *

**Flashback**

"Humans," Vegeta sneered without malice, shaking his head and slipping into bed next to her. "I never imagined that this inferior race was as weak as you make it seem."

_If I only had one more day_

Though his words were harsh, his voice was unusually and unnaturally soft and comforting in a tone of voice that would soothe any soul of the aged. Beside him laid Bulma, arms secured closely by her sides and her cloudy eyes staring up at the ceiling with so much thought. She never realized just how it pained her Saiya-jin prince to see the previously energized and bubbly woman in such a state. She never noticed, because while it bothered him, it did not bother her. She did not mind being crippled with age and constantly lying on her back on the spacious bed, not being able to do anything but read a book or watch television.

She never minded, for how could she when she was constantly secured with the people she loved?

_I__lie down and blind myself with laughter  
A quick fix of hope is what I'm needing_

After all, as the days burgeoned into weeks and the imaginary hourglass continued to pour its last bits of sand, her children never ceased to visit her, sharing with her the progress of Capsule Corporations. When it was not her son and daughter, then it was theirs—her grandchildren—that came to pester her. And when they failed to show up, then a close friend, ones that refused to let old age be of any hindrance, came calling on her bedside with stories of their memories.

_And how I wish that I could turn back the hours  
But I know I just don't have the power_

But far most importantly, her beloved Vegeta would often skip his daily trainings to just sit or lie down beside her, willingly wasting time just to spend his last moments with the only love of his life. He barely said a word when he visited, with an exception of the occasional crude comments here and there, as Vegeta had never been the one to small talk openly. Yet in most times when he opened his mouth, there was nothing but silence, which was normally much more comforting than any words.

_Could it be any harder  
To say good-bye and without you?_

"You always say that," Bulma finally responded in accompaniment to the small thin smile. "We, humans, being weak, that is. _Baka!_ You ignorant, arrogant man. Do you know how unfair it is that I have wrinkles lining my face and gray hair on my head while you happen to look no different than when I first met you?"

_Could it be any harder  
To watch you go and face what's true?_

Vegeta snorted after swallowing a lump in his throat.

_If I only had one more day_

"What wrinkles?"

_I'd jump at the chance  
We'd drink and we'd dance_

Bulma smiled. So much had changed during the decades he had spent residing under this roof. In a feat that everyone had labeled impossible, she had achieved the unthinkable by taming this wild beast, transforming him into a person who had enough good in him to rival the bad. Through years of attempts and constant doses of trials and errors, Vegeta had become adjusted enough to the life of peace to smile, to laugh, to even joke around in his sense of humor. Well, dry sense of humor anyway. Still, humor, with an exception of his crude belittling, was something that had been extremely rare when Vegeta had first settled on Earth.

So he was lying there, looking at her, observing her and watching her. It made her wonder what he was thinking, and whether if he, too, was reflecting upon the changes that had been caused by her efforts. When his hand reached out and touched a strand of grayed hair away from her face, she knew that he was reflecting on many thoughts indeed.

_And I'd listen close to your every word_

"Very funny," she said slowly. "You know I have as many wrinkles as you have hair on that egotistically bloated head of yours."

_And if it's your last  
Well I know it's your last_

He failed to respond. None of those expected chuckles or frowns of aggravation were evident upon his stoic face. Handsome and debonair, in that rough, edgy, slightly pissed off kind of way. This was her Vegeta, the man who wore spandex and the man who robbed the house of food. This was her Vegeta, the one whom she loved and the one who loved her back. Her Vegeta, lying there with her and sharing with her his gestures that meant far more to her than the simplicities of words.

It was this Vegeta that she would miss and the only sole reason for her fear of departing for the afterlife.

_Cause today, oh, you're gone…_

"You know Vegeta, you make me look weak," Bulma said in efforts to break the silence. She turned to her side to face Vegeta, who was looking at her with unwavering intensity. "Vegeta, there is so much I want to say to you. I want more than ever to let you know how afraid I am of leaving without you being there with me."

_Could it be any harder?_

"What is it that you fear?" Vegeta questioned quietly, his dark brows slanting with concern. "When have you ever feared to be without me?"

_Could it be any harder?_

"Naïve little Vegeta," she whispered. "Don't you know?" She closed her eyes. "It's becoming a battle for me to even breathe, much less speak, so listen carefully. I love you and I know you return my feelings—you've claimed to me once that I was the backbone to your new life. If I go away, promise me that you won't do anything hasty. Don't fall into a state of depression or sadness or anything dramatic. I want you to live to your fullest. You still have a good, several years left in you and I want you to relish on this comforting life a little more before you join me."

_Could it be any harder  
To live my life without you?_

"Bulma—"

_Could it be any harder?  
I'm all alone… I'm all alone…_

"I want you to make sure that Trunks and Bra don't screw up on anything—be a good father to them. They're adults now, but they're still children. Be a role model. Promise me that, okay? Promise me."

_Like sand on my feet  
The smell of sweet perfume_

"Yes. Of course," Vegeta murmured, an anguished look on his face. "I promise."

_You stick to me forever, baby_

"And one more thing…"

_And I wish you didn't go  
I wish you didn't go_

Her entire body stiffened as Vegeta did the unthinkable and wrapped his arms around her frail form and held her closely, giving Bulma no other choice but to bury her face into the curve of his neck and shoulder. She felt tears welling up her eyes but she fought them back and forced herself to smile against him. Good-byes should never have to be sorrowful. It never does. So no matter how much she tried to smile in pride for her Vegeta, why did she feel so much sorrow?

_I wish you didn't go away_

"Do me a favor and don't snatch up a prettier young woman," she said, and she could have giggled at Vegeta's snort had she not been feeling her life slip away from her grasp. "You know I'm a mighty jealous person."

_To touch you again  
With life in your hands_

His response had been a nod, and then he closed his eyes shut as he felt Bulma's body weakening and her heartbeat slowing. And the last words Bulma heard before she passed away were the words she had longed to hear her entire life: "_Aishi'teru_…"

**End of Flashback**

* * *

_It couldn't be any harder …harder …harder_

Bulma's chest tightened and her stomach knotted as she remembered passing away into another life with the feel of his strong arms holding her. He had held her even though she no longer existed. Had cradled her even if she was no longer alive. Had cried with the full knowledge that she had physically left him. The strong and proud had crumbled and broken apart as the one person that had mattered the most to him departed with only a subtle warning.

_Could it be any harder?_

"Vegeta, I'm so sorry," she murmured to herself, her throat constricting with each word she spoke. "I'd go back if I could. I honestly would go back."

_Could it be any harder?_

She slid down against the lamppost and sat down on the ground in sheer helplessness. With her face buried against her hands and without feeling the shame before the passing looks of pity, she wept until the world below her felt the raindrops of her tears. So much was on her mind. Too much was in her heart. And even so, there was no one around whom she could share this emptiness with.

And through all this, only one line prevailed: "_Aishi'teru_, Vegeta. I love you…"

* * *

**Fin**

* * *

Stef-chan's Notes

I'm so embarrassed of this story. I've become a very anti-fan of sappy/cheesy romance, and this is just what it is. Nevertheless, it's the one one-shotter that _everyone _seems to bawl over (I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU PEOPLE! I REALLY DON'T!) so I decided to keep it. It went through several revisions (the very original version can be found on **Bucky**'s website) and I still can't read this one-shotter without squirming uncomfortably. Well anyway, I hope you, however, enjoyed the read. :)


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